Criteria for Business and Event Listings on VisitMo.com

The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) offers tourism-related business owners and event coordinators the opportunity to list information about their business or event on the VisitMo.com website free of charge. Listings are submitted through MDT’s industry website at industry.visitmo.com. 

Note: MDT reserves the right to accept or reject any and all listings and hyperlinks; to edit any listing without notifying the entrant; and to remove a listing without notice. Entities will be listed at the sole discretion of MDT, following the guidelines and criteria shown below. MDT reserves the right to make exceptions to these criteria on a case-by-case basis. Listings that have not been updated in more than 18 months may be removed from the website. 

Listing requirements

To be considered for inclusion on VisitMo.com, businesses, organizations and other entities must be directly engaged in the supply or operation of tourism-related attractions, activities, services or products within Missouri in one or more of the following categories:

  • Things to Do
  • Places to Stay 
  • Dining and Drinking 
  • Services 
  • Transportation
  • Events 

THINGS TO DO 

Places of general interest to the traveling public and tour groups. 

Businesses must meet the following criteria and be open for more than four months in a calendar year (unless otherwise stipulated below). 

  • Activity Center: Destinations offering supervised and organized games, instruction, amusements or activities such as miniature golf, go-carts, etc. Gyms must have some activity that is a significant tourist attraction. (Standard gyms, work-out centers and YMCA-type facilities are not eligible.) Activity centers primarily intended for those younger than 16 must so stipulate in their description. (Daycare centers are not eligible.) 
  • Aircraft Tour: Regularly operated tours given in an airplane, helicopter or hot air balloon. 
  • Antique Shop: Antique stores/malls must be permanent operations, with regular business hours, offering primarily antiques and collectibles. 
  • Art/Artisan Gallery: Shops/studios exhibiting works of fine art: art produced or intended primarily for beauty rather than utility, such as sculpture and paintings; a facility with one or more craftspeople working on site in their particular medium (clay, glass, jewelry, wood, fabrics, and other handcrafted mediums) demonstrating their craft to visitors. The majority of items must be made by Missouri artisans. Must be open to the public on a regular schedule for more than four consecutive months in a calendar year. (Mobile stands/carts/vans are not eligible.)
  • Boating: Floating outfitters (primarily renting canoes, kayaks, tubes, rafts and related supplies for floating a river or stream), marinas, ferries, boat rentals, and escorted sightseeing rides and tours by boat. Must operate on a regular basis at locations where visitors can book a ride on the spot. May be seasonal. (Canoe outfitters who have camping facilities may submit a separate listing in Places to Stay/Campgrounds.) 
  • Botanical Garden/Sculpture Park/Garden: Places where a wide variety of plants or trees are cultivated and displayed for ornamental purposes; an outdoor area where the principal attraction is statuary or topiary. Must be open to the general public on a regular schedule. 
  • Casino: State-licensed establishments operated for the purpose of gambling. 
  • Cave: Naturally occurring passageways and rooms under the surface of the earth. Must be open for public tours at regular hours or by reservation. 
  • Conservation Area: State or federally designated outdoor properties where practices and programs are in force for the conservation of natural environments, usually devoid of development. May contain a visitor center. 
  • Dinner Theater: Theatrical productions staged during or after a prepared meal. Must have a regular schedule of performances. 
  • Farm/Ranch/Orchard/Hatchery: Facility must offer tours or educational activities, or expose visitors to the daily workings of an agricultural operation. Includes dairy farms, orchards, fish and poultry hatcheries, agricultural farms and livestock ranches (cattle, horses and exotic animals such as llamas, alpacas, emus, etc.).Must be open to the public at regular hours or by reservation for more than four consecutive months in a calendar year. (Stand-alone fruit/roadside stands and stand-alone retail markets are not eligible.)
  • Farmers Market: Markets must include multiple vendors, have a fixed location and operate on a regular schedule for a minimum of four consecutive months in a calendar year. The majority of products sold must be grown, harvested or produced by the participants. (Roadside stands are not eligible.) 
  • Golf Course/Driving Range: Standard, executive or par-three golf courses open for public play on a regular schedule. Also stand-alone driving ranges and disc golf courses. Must be open for a minimum of five months in a calendar year. (Courses restricted to resort guests or members only are not eligible.) Miniature golf should be listed under Activity Centers.
  • Historic Site: Cemeteries (must have major historical significance, or hold the remains of a person(s) of prominent state, national or international importance); Genealogy Centers (contains records or accounts of the ancestry and descent of a person, family or group; must be available to the public); Official Missouri State Historic Sites (submitted and altered only by Missouri Department of Natural Resources personnel); historic sites. (Locations or facilities must have some historic significance on a state, national or international level; or facilities must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places; or structures must have been constructed prior to 1920.)
  • Horseback Riding (Equestrian): Activities and facilities primarily intended to be enjoyed on horseback. Activities offered may include short-term or overnight guided trail rides, open riding trails, stabling and boarding, corrals, and on-site blacksmithing and veterinarian services. As a general rule, horses should be available for rent. 
  • Hunting/Fishing Outfitter and Guide: Outfitters renting supplies, equipment and items needed for outdoor recreation such as hunting and fishing, floating, spelunking, hiking, backpacking and similar activities. Guide services supplying an experienced, knowledgeable person to conduct or lead these types of activities. Floating operations should be listed in the Things to Do category under Boating. 
  • Lake: A land-locked body of water accessible by the general public for recreational activities. 
  • Live Show: Live performances by professional singers, musicians, comedians, illusionists, dancers or acrobats, individually or in groups. Shows must run on a regular schedule and offer a minimum of 40 performances. Venues must have a minimum of 200 seats. Shows must have a well-maintained website listing the current schedule and ticket prices. 
  • Mural: A very large image or painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling. Cannot advertise products for sale or depict current or planned activities. 
  • Museum: Building, places or institutions devoted to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical or artistic value. 
  • Nature/Wildlife Preserve or Attraction: Protected areas for wildlife, flora, fauna or geological features of interest. Usually managed for conservation, study or research. Must offer public access, tours or instructional activities. 
  • Nightclub/Dance Hall/Music Venue: Establishments open to the public at night that provide food, drink, entertainment and music for dancing. Locations where various acts, primarily musical or comedy, perform for short-term engagements. The venue must have a well-maintained website listing the current schedule and ticket prices. 
  • Observatory: Places equipped for observing astronomical, meteorological or other natural phenomena. Must be available for use by the general public during regular hours or by appointment. 
  • Organized Tour: Ongoing tours (generally escorted) operating on a regular schedule, with an established itinerary involving more than one attraction or point of interest. For self-guided tours, a published map with detailed directions and informative commentary must be available for all included locations. 
  • Park: Large tract of land kept in its natural state, with few or no buildings, set aside and maintained for the enjoyment and recreation of visitors. Local and city parks and city recreational facilities qualify if they contain some unusual or significant attraction. Missouri State Parks listings are maintained by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and may be submitted or altered only by DNR personnel). 
  • Point of Interest: Places, markers, replicas, waypoints or pullovers where someone stops for a brief period of time (historical markers; monuments; view points; etc.); a copy or reproduction of a famous item or artwork, usually on a scale smaller than the original. 
  • Professional Sports Team or Venue: Professional teams in any sport. Arenas or stadiums that are home to a specific semi-professional or professional team with a regular schedule of games. The teams or facilities must have a well-maintained website listing the current schedule and ticket prices. 
  • Quilting: Quilt trails and quilt shops.
  • Ride: Stand-alone amusement rides normally associated with carnivals; adventures such as zip-lines, skydiving, etc.; wheeled passenger vehicles, drawn by hoofed animals. Must operate on a regular basis at locations frequented by tourists, who may book a ride on the spot. (May be seasonal.)
  • River or Stream: A natural course of flowing water. Must be accessible for recreational use by the public. Some usage restrictions may be allowed; they must be stated in the listing description. 
  • Seasonal Agritourism Business: Farmers markets, working farms, U-pick farms and other seasonal agritourism-related businesses may submit regular listings for VisitMO.com with the following guidelines: Businesses are open at least two days during the week, for at least three hours per day, during its operating season; the operating season must be at least one month in duration; the business or market has a presence online (website, Facebook or other social media page). Link from AgriMissouri or local CVB/Chamber is acceptable.
  • Shooting Range: Area or buildings specifically designed for the use of firearms or archery, including targets, skeet and trap facilities. 
  • Shopping Mall: Retail malls with a minimum of 20 permanent stores. Individual retail stores or gift shops are not eligible unless they are a well-known destination in and of themselves (the original Bass Pro Outdoor World in Springfield, for example). 
  • Spa: Facilities supplying a variety of professionally administered personal care treatments such as massages, facials, body wraps, aromatherapy, skin exfoliation and therapeutic water, mineral or mud baths. Must be open to the public with no membership fee or hotel/resort stay required. 
  • Specialty/Retail Shop: Unique specialty and retail shops will be included on VisitMo.com at the sole discretion of the MDT staff. Priority will be given to retailers existing in already established historic districts and to those retailers whose clientele exists outside a “local-only” market. (Large chain retailers and national stores, including stores commonly found in shopping malls/centers, are not eligible.)  
  • Speedway: Facilities offering regularly scheduled, organized automobile or motorcycle races, including drag strips. Must operate a minimum of four consecutive months in a calendar year. Must have a well-maintained, up-to-date website listing a race schedule and admission prices. 
  • Spiritual Center: Churches or other structures intended for religious or spiritual activities. Must be of tourist interest, with historical or major artistic appeal and offer guided or self-guided tours of the facility. 
  • Theater: Facilities offering professional theatrical productions, plays, dances, concerts or individual performances. Theaters must have a well-maintained website listing the current schedule and ticket prices. (Live shows have their own separate type.) 
  • Theme Park/Water Park: Theme parks offering rides, games and entertainment on a large scale. Water parks must include large slides, fountains and other recreational activities involving water. (City water parks and pools are not eligible.) 
  • Trail: Fixed, overland, marked or beaten paths through open ground, woods or wilderness intended for bicycling, walking, hiking or backpacking. This includes rails-to-trails conversions. (Listings for State Parks are maintained by Department of Natural Resources and may be submitted or altered only by DNR personnel.) 
  • Train Attraction: Public conveyances on a closed-end route by locomotive-pulled cars on rails; gondola type cars suspended from an overhead cable; or in a vehicle-drawn wagon. Must operate on a set schedule. 
  • Zoo: Facilities in which a variety of living animals, mammals and/or reptiles are housed and exhibited to the public. 

PLACES TO STAY

  • Bed and Breakfast: Homes or inns offering one or more private guestrooms inside the home or in adjacent buildings. A full, hot breakfast or a continental breakfast must be included with the lodging. Breakfast must be served to the guests in a sit-down setting or a buffet. (Facilities where breakfast foods are supplied for the guest to prepare themselves do not qualify; they belong in the Guesthouse type. Hotels where breakfast is included do not qualify; they belong in the Hotel/Motel type.)
  • Cabin/Cottage: One or more stand-alone, furnished or partially furnished dwellings typically in a rural, semi-rural or waterside location. 
  • Campground/RV Park: Facilities for primitive and tent camping and/or RVs and coaches. 
  • Condo/Guesthouse/Private Home: Rentals of apartment-like units within a single complex where the units are owned by individuals; individual single family private residence where the guest rents and occupies the entire dwelling, grounds and included facilities (must offer a brochure or web site that provides detailed information); guesthouse is a small structure, usually adjacent to a main house or building, used for lodging guests. An offer to sell cannot be made to the renters of any lodging property. 
  • Farm/Ranch: Equestrian facilities or working farms in a ranch-like setting where guests stay in a guestroom, bunkhouse, tent, wagon or special campsite; working farm attraction.
  • Hostel: Accommodations where guests rent a cot, bed or bunk bed in a dormitory-type setting with a shared bathroom, kitchen and common area. 
  • Hotel/Motel/Multi-Unit Lodging: Multi-unit facilities. Beyond lodging, they often supply (fee-based or free) recreational and sporting activities and other services for their guests. 
  • Resort: Resorts include within the facility, attractions and amenities needed for a one-location vacation so guests have no need to leave the facility throughout their stay. This could consist of, but is not limited to: lodging, restaurant, bar/lounge, sports activities, entertainment venues, shopping (beyond a small gift shop) and meeting/event facilities. 

DINING AND DRINKING

Because of the overwhelming numbers, fast-food restaurants, where customers serve themselves, are not eligible. Mobile food stands/carts/vans are not eligible. 

  • Bakery/Confections/Ice Cream: Principal business must be breads, pastries, candy and 

confections produced daily on the premises. Ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, gelato and related desserts must be the main menu items. Must be a stand-alone operation. 

  • Brewery: Microbreweries featuring their own hand-crafted beers. Major breweries offering tours. 
  • Coffeehouse/Tearoom: The primary focus must be serving coffee or tea drinks. Must be a stand-alone, store-front operation. Mobile stands, carts or vans will not be listed. 
  • Distillery: Distillery making hard alcohol like whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, etc. Must offer tours/tastings to the public.
  • Restaurant: Full-service establishments offering wait-staff table service; also, full-service delicatessens and buffet-style eateries. (To be listed, bars and lounges must offer full-menu food service beyond snacks and appetizers.)
  • Winery: Wineries must sell primarily their own label wines and juices, by the glass or bottle, and offer tastings or tours. Must be a stand-alone operation. 

SERVICES

Businesses that provide a service to travelers, but are not an actual destination. (Standard travel agencies are not eligible.)

  • Convention/Event Center: Public buildings that can accommodate a minimum of 500 attendees. Convention centers rent out their space for meetings such as corporate conferences, industry trade shows, formal dances, entertainment shows and concerts. The space may be dividable for smaller meetings. The venue must have a website with an up-to-date calendar of events. 
  • Convention and Visitors Bureau/Chamber of Commerce/Tourism Association/Etc.: An organization representing tourism-related businesses to protect members’ interests and to promote the area and the member businesses. 
  • Official Welcome Center: Official Missouri Welcome Centers located at major highway points of entry into the state; officially designated Affiliate Welcome Centers are located throughout the state. 
  • Publication/Website: Must be a regularly published magazines or newspapers available by subscription or online or a well-maintained, up-to-date website. Must offer primarily tourist/travel-related information. Content must be about tourism-related businesses, locations and events within Missouri only. 
  • Receptive Tour Operator: Also called a step-on guides. A person, with extensive knowledge of the area, who joins a tour group once it arrives at a destination and conducts or guides the group on a set itinerary. 
  • Rental Agency: Organizations offering a variety of condos and/or homes for rent to travelers for limited periods.
  • Visitor Center: Local operations, staffed by knowledgeable personnel, offering information, directions, brochures, maps and other services. 

Transportation 

  • Airport/Airfield:  Facilities with fields and runways where aircraft can take off and land, including FAA designated float plane areas. FBOs and aircraft rental operations should be listed here. 
  • Railroad: Scheduled commercial train services. In order to be posted, the company must have a well-maintained, up-to-date website listing schedules and fares. (Excursion trains on a closed-end route should be listed in the Train/Tram type in the Entertainment and Attractions category.) 
  • Shuttle Service: Short distance, usually one-way transportation for persons and equipment from one point to another; generally associated with, but not limited to, floating, cycling, hiking and airport arrivals/departures. 

Events

Generally, an event’s duration should not be longer than four months. Some exceptions on length will be allowed for special museum exhibits. 

Events cannot be posted more than one year in advance of their end date. 

Events should be of general interest to the traveling public and group tours, drawing new visitors/bus tours from beyond the immediate area (more than 50 miles). Events primarily aimed at the local community/area, or those intended for a limited or a member-based audience, may not be listed. 

Events with limited appeal will not be listed.

Regularly recurring events considered part of general business operations are not eligible to be listed as a separate event. 

All events must be open to the public as participants or spectators. Some restrictions to access will be allowed if necessitated by the activity; restrictions must be stated in the listing’s description. 

Events fall into the following types. In addition to the restrictions shown above, events must meet the specific criteria listed below. (Events held in Missouri State Parks and State Historic Sites are maintained by Department of Natural Resources and may be submitted or altered only by DNR personnel.)

See a sampling of events that are not eligible below.

Event Categories

  • Arts, History and Culture
  • Food and Beverage
  • Lectures and Presentations
  • Music and Performance
  • Nature, Outdoors and Science
  • Seasonal and Holiday
  • Sports and Recreation

Eligible Events:

  • Airshows.
  • Children’s events (mainly intended for those younger than age 16).
  • War commemoration events (reenactments and events honoring the memory of participants, battles, engagements and activities of Americans, military and civilian, in any military conflict or war).
  • Concerts and performing arts events (live performances presented mainly by professional or semi-professional performers).
  • Cycling events.
  • Dinner theater shows (dinner theaters that operate on an ongoing basis belong in the Things To Do category and should not list their individual performances as events).
  • Exhibits, shows or shopping events: craft, antique, automobile, boat, RV, sport, home improvement and travel shows must be large scale, held in a convention center, arena or major event venue. Car shows must draw at least 50 entries and last a minimum of three hours. (Car club activities and cruise-ins are not eligible).
  • Fairs and farm/agriculture events.
  • Festivals.
  • Fishing tournaments.
  • Food/beverage events.
  • Fun runs/races. 
  • Golf and disc golf tournaments.
  • Historic reenactments (event or period must have occurred more than 100 years ago). 
  • Holiday events (restrictions apply – see below).
  • Home tour events: Must involve three or more houses built prior to 1920, restored and maintained to their period. Houses must be open for public access during the event. Open houses involving a single dwelling may be listed if the house has historical significance other than age and it is restored and maintained to its original period. 
  • Lectures and storytelling (lectures must involve the relating or discussion of historical, scientific, environmental or educational information). 
  • Live theatre: Staged plays or operas performed primarily by professional or semiprofessional actors. Must have a run of less than four months. 
  • Nature events: Activities focused on things found in nature; may be held indoors. 
  • Organized tours: Short-term tours (generally escorted) operating on a regular schedule, with an established itinerary involving more than one attraction or point of interest. For self-guided tours, a published pamphlet and map, with detailed directions and informative commentary on the points of interest, must be readily available to travelers. 
  • Outdoor adventures (hiking and backpacking, equestrian trail rides, campouts, spelunking, canoeing and floating, rock climbing, scuba, etc.). 
  • Parades (celebrating a nationally recognized holiday only). 
  • Pumpkin patches.
  • Shooting tournaments: Must draw participants from outside of Missouri and spectators from beyond the local community/area. 

Events that are NOT eligible include but are not necessarily limited to:

  • Activities with no specific dates or hours. 
  • Amateur or semi-professional automobile or boat races. 
  • Amateur theater or concert performances. 
  • Art gallery showings aimed primarily at retail sales. 
  • Beauty contests on a local level. 
  • Business/association expositions, conventions and trade shows intended primarily for members. 
  • Camps. 
  • Car club activities and community car shows. 
  • Christmas tree sales. 
  • Church fairs, dinners, bazaars, etc. 
  • Cleanup activities. 
  • Club activities such as poker night, dinners etc.
  • Easter egg hunts or Easter bunny activities (unless held at an existing tourism-related attraction; MDT staff will determine on case-by-case basis).
  • Events directed toward a limited or a very specific audience. 
  • Farmers markets. (May be included in the Things To Do category if they have a regular schedule and run for a minimum of four months.) 
  • Fireworks. (Independence Day fireworks displays may allowed on a case-by-case basis.) 
  • Flea markets, sidewalk sales, auctions and garage sales. (Large sales, like the 100 Mile Garage Sale, may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.) 
  • High school festivities such as homecoming activities, plays, sports, etc. 
  • Meals (4-H dinner; parish picnics, etc). 
  • Opening day of attractions. 
  • Opening receptions. 
  • Santa Claus events (unless held at an existing tourism-related attraction; MDT staff will determine on case-by-case basis). 
  • Seminars and workshops. 
  • Shopping center/mall activities. 
  • Student exhibits, productions and activities. 
  • Traveling carnivals, circuses or side shows.